Automatic car coupler



Sept. 2s y, 1926.

C. C. FARMER AUTOMATIC CAR COUPLER Filed July 18 1924 INVENTOR CLYDE QFARMER www@ ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 28, 1.925.

narran stares assises paraat carica.

CLYDE C'. FARMER, OF PITTSBURGH, EENNSYLVANIA, ASSIG-NOR TO THE WESTING- HOUSE AIRYBRAKE COMANY, OF WILMERDING, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OE PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC CAR ooUrLEn.

Application :ned July 1s,

. air coupler of the tight lock type.

1n a tight'lock coupler, such as shown in the prior lfVestinghouse Patent No. 7 08,7 47 dated Sept. '9, 1902, there is provided a coupler head having a hook shaped portion adapted to engage a corresponding portion of counterpart coupler and having a pivoted locking lever or latch for tightly vlocking` the coupler heads together.

Vith the above type of coupler, it has been found that after the coupler has been in service for some timeand the latch portion has become worn, there is a possibility of the coupler'heads uncoupling when not intended. f

rlhe principal obj ect of my invention is to provide means for overcoming the above difliculty.

In the accompanying drawing; `Fig. 1 is a sectional view of portions of coupled up tight lock couplers with my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 a detail plan view of the latch lock releasing mechanism; and Fig. 3 an end view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1, only so much of the coupler heads are shown as deemed necessary to illustrate the construction and operation of my invention, each coupler head 1 having a nose portion 2 adapted to engage a recess in the counterpart coupler head and the nose portion being provided with a surface 3 withl which the cam face of a pivoted latch or lever 4 engages. i

The latch 4 is provided with an operating arm 5 which is pivotally connected to a rod 6 operatively connected to a piston 7, contained in piston cylinder 8.

According to my invention, the arm 5 is provided with a plurality of notches, such as the notches 9, 10, and 11 and adapted to engage said notches is a pawl 12, which is pivotally mountedon a bracket member 13, secured to the coupler head 1. The bracket member carries a cylinder 14 containing a piston 15, which is connected through a piston rod 16 with the pawl 12.

' For releasingthe pawl 12 in the act of coupling, a member 17 is provided, which is rotatably mounted on the shaft 18 which carries .the latch 4. ,Said member 17' is contaneously 1924. serial No. 726,737.

nected through a link 19 with the end of the pawl 12.

In operation, when a Coupler head is in the uncoupled position, the spring 20, acting on piston 7, tends to hold the latch lever .Y

4 in its eXtreme counter clockwise position and the member 17 is held in the position shown in Fig. 1, by the spring 21, acting through piston 15, the piston rod 16, the pawl 12, and the link 19. Nhen coupler headsgare brought together for coupling up, thenose portion 2 of one coupler head will just engage the member 17 associated with the other coupler head and moving said member in a clockwise direction, will operate to trip the pawl 12 Iout of engagement with the notches in the arm 5. This permits a clockwise movement of the latch 4, so that thenose portion 2 can move into the coupled position, as shown in Fig. 1.

l/Vhen the nose portion 2 assumes its coupled position, the latch 4 is swung in a counter clockwise direction by spring 20, so that the cam face thereof will engage the surface 3 of the counterpart coupler head and thus lock the coupler heads together.

The pawl 12 will then engage one of the notches of the arm 5 and will Ioperate to lock the latch 4 and prevent any release movement thereof. A plurality of notches are provided in order toy compensate for wear of the surface 3 and the engaging face of the latch 4. lVhen new, the latch 4 may engage about as shown in the drawing and the pawl 12 will engage the notch 9 and as wear takes place, the latch 4 will move in further, so that the notches 10 and 11 will be successively engaged by the pawl 1 2, according to the amount of wear which has taken place.

In order to uncouple, a cock 22 in the motormans cab is turned so as to simuladmit fluid under pressure through a pipe 23 to the piston cylinders 8 and 14. r1`he piston 15 will be operated first; as the spring 21 is lighter than spring 20 and the pawl 12 will then be tripped from engagement with a notch in the arm 5. Fluid under pressure admitted to cylinder 8 then operates piston 7 so as to shift the latch 4 out of engagement with the engaging face 3 of the counterpart coupler head and thus permit the separation ofthe coupler heads.

what I claim as nenv and desire to secure h v Letters Patent, is

l. il car coupler comlirising :1 rigid coupler head, a latch having a Jface Jfor engaging a surt'ace oit a. counterpart coupler head in the act ot coupling Ylor locking the coupler heads in engagement and means automaticall)r operated upon the coupling of counterpart heaes lor positively loclv ing said latch in its coupler locking position.

2. car coupler comprising a rigid coupler head, a latch having a tace lor e11- gaging a surface oit a counteipait coupler head in the act of coupling for locl-:ing the coupler heads in engagement and a paxil lor automaticallj,v engaging vsaid latch in the coupled position to prevent movement ot' the latch from its coupled position.

3. Bi car coupler comprising a coupler head, a. latch having a face ttor engaging a surface ot a counterpart coupler head in the act ot coupling for locking the coupler heads in engagement, a locking device automatieall)y operated upon the coupling et counterpart heads tor locking said latch in its coupled position, and fluid pressure operated means tor operatine' said locking device to permit the uncoupling movement ol" -said latch.

A car coupler comprising a coupler head, a latch for locking said head in engagenient with a counterpart coupler head, a locking device for locking said latch in its coupled position, and means operated h v thecoming together ot' coupler heads in the act of coupling for releasing said locking device.

5. A car coupler con'iprising a coupler head, a latch for locking said head in engagementV with a counterpart coupler head, a lool-:ing device engaging said latch t'or locking .said latch in 'its coupler locking position, and means Voperated by the coming together ot coupler heads in the act ol? coupling for tripping said locking device.

A car coupler comprising a coupler head, a. latch t'or locking said head in en gagen'ient with a counterpart coupler head, a paivl engaging saidvlateh for holding said latch in its coupler locking position, and

means operated hya counterpart coupler in the act of couphng for releasing said paivl.

2r hanele 2i is associated Win the p vfl 'i'. A. car coupler eomp c l2. so that, if necessari', the oaivl Q mav head having '.1 nose pe tion and a pnote he tripped hv oi cretina' tiie l andre 24 latch tor engaging a sui-tace Havinfr non` described my invention, part coupler in the coupled p for holding sai-:l latch in its co. position and a nlemhc' nected to said pavfl and operated hf.' t1 nose portion of a. counterpart coupler hea'k in the at ot coupling tor rele ng f pavvl.

[L car coupler co1npi""i11g a (.'oupler head having` a latch tor lcclvirg said hea'i l fagement with a coiui'er rt couple; i piston operated hv iiuid under pr sure tor actuating said lacht a lookin@ ric- 'fice tor holding said latch in its coizpls.' locking position,4 and :i pistou lor operating said hacking device.

i). .i car Pi sine' head having a l ai engagement with a coi head, a piston operated p1l .sure for actuatinef l loclingf device for holding id latch in itj coupler locking position7 a piston operated hv ihiid under pressure for operating said locking device, and means tor simultaneously sup plying fluid under pressure to both pistons. l0. il car coupler comprising :1 coupler head having a nose portion for engaging a counterpart coupler head in the coupled position, and a pivoted latch for lociiing said head in engagement with a counterpart head and movahle b3* the nose portion ot a counterpart coupler head in the act ot coupling, a loclzing device for locking said latch in its coupler locking position, and a meinher operativel)v connected to said locking device and movahle bj: the nose portion oi a counterpart coupler head to release said latch in advance oi the movement ot' said latch lf3' said nose portion.

il. ji car coupler comprising a coupler head having a latch tor locking said head in engagement with a counterpart head i 1 the coupled position, said latch heine' moved array vlfrom its locking position h v the counterpart coupler head in the act o' coupling, :1 loci-:ing device tor locking sail latch against movement from its loclv'ing position, and a meml.er operated h v tl counterart coupler head in the :1ct c coupling and in advance ol the latch ha releasing said locking device.

ln testimonv whereof ,l have hereunto set my hand.

CLYDE C. FARMER. 

